MON SIX

Games played on Friday and Saturday were mostly upset-free. Michigan State, Baylor and Iowa survived close calls against double-digit seeds, while No. 10 Virginia triumphed over No. 7 Georgia in overtime. Two No. 9 seeds, Syracuse and USC, also advanced.

No mid-major teams are left in the field. Aside from top-seeded UConn of the Big East, the other 31 teams remaining are all from Power 4 conferences.

In the minds of oddsmakers, not much has changed. According to thelatest odds from BetMGMas of early Sunday morning, the undefeated UConn Huskies were still the overwhelming favorite at -275.

Advertisement

Texas Tech survives Villanova to move on in March Madness

The second overall seed, UCLA, is still second in odds at +500. Texas is third at +650, and South Carolina is fourth at +900.

Oregon — which faces Texas on Sunday — has the longest odds at +75000.

Here are the betting odds for each of the 32 teams still playing in the Women's NCAA Tournament to win the national championship:

Women's basketball national championship odds

1. UConn -275

2. UCLA +500

3. Texas +650

4. South Carolina +900

5. LSU +1700

6. Vanderbilt +5000

7. Michigan +9000

8. Duke +10000

9. Iowa +10000

10. Louisville +10000

11. Oklahoma +12500

12. TCU +12500

13. Kentucky +12500

14. Alabama +15000

15. Maryland +17500

16. Notre Dame +20000

17. North Carolina +20000

18. Ole Miss +20000

19. Ohio State +20000

20. Texas Tech +20000

21. USC +25000

22. Baylor +25000

23. West Virginia +25000

24. Minnesota +25000

25. Oklahoma State +30000

26. Michigan State +30000

27. Washington +30000

28. Virginia +30000

29. Illinois +30000

30. NC State +35000

31. Syracuse +50000

32. Oregon +75000

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ranking 32 remaining Women's NCAA Tournament teams by odds to win March Madness

Get ready to hear it a lot on Sunday.

Zuby Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 forward, started his college career at Kansas in 2022,  where he played for Hall of Fame coachBill Self. Then he transferred to St. John's in 2023 to play forHall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.

Three years later, Ejiofor, Pitino and No. 5 seed St. John's face off against Self and No. 4 seed Kansas in a second-round men's NCAA Tournament game at Viejas Arena.

"We didn't want him to leave," Self said Saturday. "We're really happy for his success. We just don't … We just hope it doesn't come against us."

CINDERELLA'S TIME:Ranking the most likely upsets in the second round

Unfortunately for Self, Ejiofor happens to be on a monster run right now. He is the reigning Big East Conference player of the year, reigning Big East defensive player of the year and the leader of his team in scoring (16.3 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), assists (121) and blocks (77).

Now comes the peak of his college career against his old team. Just don't call it a revenge game. It's not.

Why did Zuby Ejiofor transfer from Kansas to St. John's?

Ejiofor (pronounced "edge-o-for") sat in a chair Saturday surrounded by about 15 reporters and photographers at Viejas Arena. They wanted to know the story again: What happened at Kansas and why did he choose St. John's?

"I had a fun time at Kansas," Ejiofor said. "I wouldn't lie: I didn't really want to leave. But I knew that in order for my future to keep progressing the way I wanted to go, that I had to probably look elsewhere for a bigger opportunity."

Ejiofor played in 25 games for Kansas as a freshman, when he averaged only 5.1 minutes per game. The Jayhawks finished with a 28-8 record that season and lost in the second round of the tournament against Arkansas. Ejiofor played seven minutes in that game and tallied two rebounds, one block and no points.

PORTAL KING:How Rick Pitino experimented with transfer portal at St. John's — and won

Then Kansas brought in abig transfer from Michiganin May 2023: 7-foot-1 Hunter Dickinson, who made the move in pursuit of more money for his name, image and likeness (NIL).

One day later, Ejioforannounced he was transferring out. He simply wanted more playing time and didn't see him getting much of it with Dickinson there.

So Ejiofor signed with St. John's, where Pitino had just been hired and wasremaking his rosterwith 10 transfer players out of a roster of 14, including Ejiofor.

Advertisement

"I don't think I've enjoyed coaching a player as much since 1987 when I coached Billy Donovan (at Providence)," Pitino said of Ejiofor. "And I'm going to miss him terribly.  And I'm just going to appreciate him while I have him."

University of Akron:
Yvette Nicole Brown, Alexa Bliss, Dominique Moceanu, The Black Keys and George Wallace

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> California Baptist University: Brent Kutzle, Dustin-Leigh Konzelman, Kay Warren, Rick Warren and Marissa Figueroa (not pictured)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> University of Hawaii: Bette Midler, Larry Beil, Jason Elam, Ken Niumatalolo and Barack Obama, Sr.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> High Point University: Austin Dillon, Tubby Smith, Donna Fargo, Cody Allen and Charles F. Price (not pictured)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Howard University:
Chadwick Boseman, Thurgood Marshall, Anthony Anderson, Taraji P. Henson and Gus Johnson

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Kennesaw State University: Bron Breakker, Jasmine Burke, ReesaTeesa, Larry Nelson and theRadBrad (not pictured)

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Kathleen Turner, Duff Goldman, Stavros Halkias, Young Mazino and Scott Seiss

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> University of Pennsylvania: Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Banks, John Legend and Maury Povich

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Prairie View A&M University: Megan Thee Stallion, Mr. T., Loni Love, Terry Ellis and Cecil Cooper

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Actors, athletes and icons: Famous alumni from every NCAA men's tournament team

University of Akron:Yvette Nicole Brown, Alexa Bliss, Dominique Moceanu, The Black Keys and George Wallace

No hard feelings between Kansas and Zuby Ejiofor

Self recruited Ejiofor out of Garland, Texas, where he was a late bloomer of sorts. He didn't start playing basketball until eighth grade. He has Nigerian-born parents and another set of basketball "parents" of sorts, including his "dad,"Andy Philachack, a 5-foot-4 coach who influenced his decision to leave Kansas.

"Everybody embraced me my first year (at KU), so there's no bad blood there," Ejiofor said

Self confirmed the same.

"I love Zuby," Self said.

And he's not surprised by how well he's done.

"Rick was obviously a great fit for him," Self said. "I've enjoyed watching him grow, be a complete player, because when you talk about complete, you're talking about a skill set, posting, drawing fouls, using both hands, passing, stretching it, blocking and altering. When you lead a team that good in four major categories, you know you're a good player."

Zuby Ejiofor considered other schools besides St. John's

He took his first visit Villanova and considered Kentucky and Texas.

Why St. John's?

"New York is a great city," Ejiofor told USA TODAY Sports. "I had never been to New York before I visited St. John's. And then everything that Coach Pitino stood for."

Pitino credited assistant coach Ricky Johns for finding him. He came in for a visit and worked out in front of Pitino.

"I worked him out for about an hour, put him through a really tough work out, and I thought he was a terrific athlete, but he never – I gave him an extra hard workout to see if he could hold up against it, and he never tired," Pitino said. "He just worked his butt off, and I said to his 'dad,' `I'd really love to have him.'"

Ejiofor since helped Pitino restore a dormant program in the heart of New York City. His photo recently even loomed large in Times Square in New York City.

"I wouldn't say it's a dream come true," Ejiofor said. "I never dreamt of my picture ever being in Times Square. But man, it's just crazy, you know, from where I came from and everything I had to go through."                    Now comes his next big moment in the spotlight, this time against his old team at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS. The winner advances to the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer@Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor left Kansas, now wants to beat them

"We're going to give y'all a show. Whether that's behind-the-back passes ― we're going to have celebrations. We just play with a lot of passion. I think from the top of our roster to the bottom, we just love basketball," guard Jada Richard said.

"I feel like there's a lot of people who play basketball, but they don't like it. Feel like we all love the game. We love coming to practice every day, pushing each other. We love the grind. We love the in between, the practices and things like that. ... LSU women's basketball, we have that grit, that passion, so that's why we're the show."

LSU owns the most explosive offense in the country. The Tigers average just over 95 points a matchup, have four players who average double digits and have the highest producing bench in the nation (39 points per game). Underhead coach Kim Mulkey, LSU has scored 100 points or more 15 times this season, including a 116-58 win over the Jacksonville Dolphins in thefirst round of March Madness.

The win over Jacksonvilletied an NCAA recordfor the most 100-point games in a season with Long Beach State (1986-1987). In the matchup against the Dolphins, the Tigersscored 64 points by halftime, but they were just getting started. In the third quarter, as they increased their lead to more than 30 points, the smiles started slowly emanating from faces as LSU pulled off thrilling shots, multiple steals and even a behind-the-back pass in transition for a score. The crowd in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center roared with excitement after every move as the Tigers relished in the moment.

"I feel like we're appealing, and we're fun to watch, from the celebrations to what we're doing on the bench towhat Coach (Kim) Mulkey's wearingto the coaching staff, what outfits they're gonna wear to the game ... I think we're just fun," guard Mikayla Williams told USA TODAY Sports.

"Coach (Kim) Mulkey definitely says, 'The score is 0-0. Don't look at the score. Just keep playing hard.' So that's kinda what we do, continue to play hard, continue to stick to our principles. At the same time, like I said, we like to have fun a little bit and keep the crowd into it."

"The Show" is off the court, too. On the eve of LSU's second-round matchup against Texas Tech, the Tigers are in their locker room, complete with vanity lighting, a salon and a beauty station to get prepped for game days. As USA TODAY entered the room where players were congregating for media interviews, a massive card game was going on. The Tigers were playing war and chatting about other games they needed to learn, like gin rummy.

Advertisement

"I hate losing," one player said. "Money, shuffle the deck," another said toassistant coach Seimone Augustus, an LSU alumna and four-time WNBA champion. Augustus jokingly asked why she had to shuffle before playfully chiding her players about not being able to properly shuffle. Yet, there she was laughing and enjoying the off-court version of "The Show" as she attempted to understand where the, at times, hysterically chaotic card games were going.

Players to watch in 2026 women's NCAA basketball tournament

While the scene in the locker room might have been filled with childlike joy and raucousness, it was amazingly calm, controlled, much like an actual show. Every player enjoying the time together and doing so on their terms, similar to how LSU has played all year. The players are "The Show," and they enjoy being in "The Show" while playing basketball, never losing sight of the ultimate goal.

"We're very intentional about improving things. Like, there's always room to improve," guard Zakiyah Johnson said.

"I don't think a lot of people really focus on that a lot. You've got teams who are undefeated, teams who win a lot of games, and they're not really worried about what they can do to fix it. They don't think they can. But for us, you know, Coach (Bob) Starkey, he's always ready with something to fix. Even if we had the best game of our life, there is something to fix, and I think that's really important."

If LSU advances past No. 7 Texas Tech on Sunday at Pete Maravich, the Tigers will take "The Show" out on the road. LSU will play the winner of No. 3 Duke and No. 6 Baylor at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, when the Sweet 16 open unfolds March 27-28. Multiple players told USA TODAY they look forward to traveling because, no matter where they go, people enjoy watching them play.

"It's exciting. I feel like we don't play basketball like any other team. We're very exciting. We're just a vibe,"guard Flau'jae Johnsonsaid.

"When we go out, and we sell out other people's arenas. It don't get much bigger than that. It's like home games at away games. So I just think that's pretty cool. That's 'The Show' for sure."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Why LSU women's basketball is called 'The Show,' explained

I'm so accustomed to rejection that I brace myself for every email – even before opening. Even when good news may be waiting after that click.

Writers, and all creatives to an extent, have to get accustomed to "no."

About 81% of Americans feel that they have a book in them, according toan often cited surveyreported inThe New York Times(from the early 2000s). Many aspire to write and publish a book in their lifetime, but only a small fraction see their work formally acquired and announced each year.A little over 2,000 fiction writersannounced deals in 2025 on Publishers Marketplace.

What's it like to write a bestseller?We followed Lucy Score for a year to find out

This year, one of those deals announced is mine: My debut young adult novel, "How to Kill a Chupacabras," was acquired by independent publisherTiny Ghost Press. I almost dismissed the email confirming the offer as another rejection.

I started writing this novel in 2021. My father, who inspired it, landed in the hospital as I was drafting the outline. He developed complications from cancer. I wrote the book at home, before work shifts, on weekends, beside my dad's hospital bed.

That 2021 idea was ultimately acquired in 2024, announced in Publishers Marketplace this week, and expected to publish in the summer of 2027.

That's six years from spark to publication date. And that's not unusual. Two years from acquisition to publication is considered a "normal" timeline.

So, when people ask, "Can anyone get a book deal?" what they're often asking is something else:

• Is this still possible for people who aren't famous?

• Do I have to know somebody in the industry?

• And if I do everything "right," will it still take years?

In short: Yes, no and maybe. A book deal is attainable – to some extent. It's also not a finish line. Here's what aspiring novelists and readers should know about the behind-the-scenes of publishing a fiction book.

The part people don't see: fewer chairs, louder music

The publishing industry is consolidating, which means fewer imprints (and fewer editors). During the hearings for the proposed Penguin Random House merger with Simon & Schuster,Judge Florence Pan said in his written opinion:"It is significant that in a market already prone to collusion, where coordinated conduct already appears to be rampant, PRH's acquisition of S&S would reinforce the market's oligopsonistic structure."

Still, about300 of the deals announced last year went "to auction," which means imprints had a bidding war for them.

When editors are stretched thinner, the time it takes to nurture talent – especially debut authors – shrinks. The industry's ability to take a slow bet on a writer, to develop them the way record labels develop musicians or sports teams develop rookies, becomes increasingly rare.

I lucked out in connecting with Tiny Ghost Press Founder and Editorial Director Joshua Perry through a call for submissions on social media.

Story continues below.

"The first question I ask (authors) is, what goals do you want to achieve with this particular publication?" said Michelle Herrera Mulligan, vice president and associate publisher at Primero Sueño, an imprint of Atria Books – a division of Simon & Schuster. "Are you trying to heal a trauma, create social change or be a commercially successful author publishing book after book? All of those are legitimate goals, but they would deploy very different strategies and very different budgets."

Advertisement

Independent publishers and small-to-medium imprints often stand out because of that personalized care. That's no shade to the Big Five – Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers and HarperCollins – but novelists in a massive house compete with celebrity memoirs and household-name writers for resources. Their books are in a busy (but quite effective) ecosystem.

It's not easy, but it's doable

One wrinkle in the process is that imprints under the same parent company can't bid against each other, thus limiting the number of deals.

The number of traditionally published books in the U.S. rose in 2025 by 6.6%, to 642,242 from the prior year, according tostatistics compiled by Bowker for Publishers Weekly. Among those, 64,449 titles were adult and juvenile fiction.

Even when the book is good, "we have less places to sell things than we have in the past," Carly Watters, senior literary agent at PS Literary, told USA TODAY. "A lot of things are more predicated on the appetites of a smaller group of people … there might be separate imprints, but they all share an editorial board meeting."

Quality aside, a novel also has to be "sellable" to stand out in those meetings. "In my experience, (books) that are easily pitchable, meaning we can sum up – hook, line, sinker – in one sentence, that's something that I can get people's attention with," Watters added. There are gorgeous books that are hard to summarize, she said. The kind you want to hand someone and say, "Just read it, then call me."

Those books can sell. But it's harder.

Eric Smith, literary agent and founder of Neighborhood Literary, agreed that for novelists, the product is what dictates the trajectory – more so than who the author is.

"I feel like you see a lot of contrasting thoughts on it regarding like, 'Oh, you need X-amount of platform, or you need to know somebody who knows somebody.' But none of that's true," Smith said. "I have plenty of clients who have no social media following or the book that they wrote is the very first book they have ever written, and they ... get book deals just as much as somebody who has a million followers on TikTok or has two MFAs or something."

Thought this year was going to be big for new books? Just wait until you see how many of your favorite titles are slated for adaptation in 2026. Here are the movies and series we're excited to see this year, in order of release date.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "His & Hers" (Jan. 8)

"His & Hers" by Alice Feeney is now a Netflix series. In this thriller, Tessa Thompson plays TV reporter Anna Andrews, who returns to her small Georgia hometown to report on a string of homicides being investigated by her estranged husband, Detective Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal).

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "People We Meet on Vacation" (Jan. 9)

Romance readers got the first of many upcoming Emily Henry adaptations early this year. Netflix's "People We Meet on Vacation" stars Emily Bader as Poppy and Tom Blyth as Alex, two estranged friends who reunite on one final, transformative trip.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" (Jan. 15)

This new Netflix miniseries is based on Christie's 1929 novel "The Seven Dials Mystery." It opens as a lavish country house party ends in murder and stars Helena Bonham Carter, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Iain Glen and more.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Finding Her Edge" (Jan. 22)

"Finding Her Edge" is a new TV-PG series on Netflix adapted from Jennifer Iacopelli's young-adult novel (which is loosely based on Jane Austen's "Persuasion"). It follows a love triangle on the competitive figure skating circuit. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Bridgerton" (Jan. 29, Part 2 Feb. 26)

Season 4 is streaming on Netflix now and is adapted from Julia Quinn's third Bridgerton novel, "An Offer From a Gentleman." It focuses on Benedict, the second-eldest Bridgerton son, who has managed to escape the marriage mart. That is, until he meets an enchanting Lady in Silver at his mother's masquerade ball. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Crime 101" (Feb. 13)

Starring Chris Hemsworth, Barry Keoghan, Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo, "Crime 101" sees a Los Angeles detective pursuing an elusive thief and insurance broker on one final heist. The movie is based on Don Winslow's 2021 novella and will be released in theaters

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Wuthering Heights" (Feb. 13)

"Saltburn" director Emerald Fennell adapts Emily Brontë's beloved Gothic novel "Wuthering Heights" into a steamy film starring Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Vladimir" (March 5)

Rachel Weisz and Leo Woodall star in "Vladimir," an eight-episode Netflix series. The series is based on the 2022 #MeToo-era novel by Julia May Jones.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Reminders of Him" (March 13)

Colleen Hoover's 2022 romance novel will star Maika Monroe as Kenna Rowan, a young woman hoping to reunite with her 4-year-old daughter after serving five years in prison. Hoover is a cowriter and "Reminders of Him" hits theaters March 13.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Project Hail Mary" (March 20)

Andy Weir's epic sci-fi adventure "Project Hail Mary" stars Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school teacher tapped for a mission to a solar system light-years away to save humanity before a catastrophe wipes out Earth. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole" (March 26)

Tobias Santelmann stars in the Netflix adaptation that's the first series based on Nesbø's crime novels and his character detective Harry Hole.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Margo's Got Money Troubles" (April 15)

Rufi Thorpe's novel about a young woman using OnlyFans to navigate unemployment, new motherhood and a dwindling bank account will soon be a new series from A24 and Apple TV+. Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman star.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Remarkably Bright Creatures" (May 8)

Shelby Van Pelt's 2022 novel charmed readers with the story of a widow who forms an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus at her aquarium night job. Sally Field ("Forrest Gump") will star as Tova in this spring's Netflix adaptation. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Verity" (Oct. 2)

The second of Colleen Hoover's 2026 adaptations is "Verity," expected to release Oct. 2. Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson will star in this psychological thriller.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> "Sunrise on the Reaping" (Nov. 20)

In theaters this fall, this "Hunger Games" prequel is set during Haymitch Abernathy's time in the arena. The star-studded cast includes Joseph Zada ("We Were Liars"), Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Maya Hawke, Jesse Plemons, Mckenna Grace, Elle Fanning and more. 

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Biggest book-to-screen adaptations coming in 2026

Thought this year was going to bebig for new books? Just wait until you see how many of your favorite titles are slated for adaptation in 2026. Here are the movies and series we're excited to see this year, in order of release date.

Plenty of his clients come from cold querying (sending an email or form pitch) with no connections in the industry. But also, his inbox – when he's open to submissions – can reach thousands in a few months. Smith estimated he received around 3,000 submissions over roughly 90 days and signed a handful last year.

That number can seem terrifying until you remember something important: Most of those submissions weren't "bad writers." They just weren't the right fit. Or the timing was wrong. Or the market was saturated. Or an editor had just acquired something similar. Or an imprint closed. Or an editor got laid off. Or the editorial board said, "We already have a slot like this."

You can do everything right and still lose to the invisible calendar of the industry.

Consolidation makes that sharper. Smith described it plainly: Agents can't send five projects in a row to the same editor without burning that bridge.

So yes, it can be more challenging now; not because the "gatekeepers" hate writers, but because the gate is servicing fewer lanes.

"I do think that anybody can (get a book deal), but I will say that they really have to want it, and (authors) have to know why they want it," Herrera Mulligan said. "There's a huge chunk of your time in your life that's going to be taken up to build this book more than you could ever imagine … Nobody's going to know your platform better than you are. Nobody's going to know your reader, and more importantly, no one's going to know your work itself and how special it is to you."

Is it easy? No, but it's possible. The industry's slow gears made it so my father died before I could show him the book he inspired, and those are the kind of trade-offs every aspiring traditionally published novelist should know.

As Watters said, people who aren't optimistic don't last long in this industry.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Can anyone get a book deal? What it takes to be a novelist in 2026.